Pup hurt by mom?

Question

Our dog had puppies 9 days ago. One puppy (originally not the runt) has now become the runt. He has only gained 1.4 ounces since birth. The others have all gained at least 3.5 ounces. There were 7 total. The mom is now carrying the runt in her mouth and taking him away from the litter. She walks around with him in her mouth and then just sits. She will then take him back to her "nest" but will leave him in her mouth. Is she hurting him or trying to help him? We keep taking him out of her mouth and putting him back with the rest but she just picks him up again.

Answer 1

She may be ready to abandon him because she can sense that there is something wrong with him and doesn't want him near the rest of the pups. I would definitely keep an eye on him and if she stops feeding him you will have to take over and bottle or tube feed him. ALso take him to the vet as soon as possible so he can better evaluate what is wrong with the pup and if there is any chance to save him

Answer 2

First, you need to rule out the possibility that the mother is sick. Get a thermometer and take her temperature rectally. After birth, the temp is normally a little higher than normal. Not to exceed 102.5. If it's in the 102 range, take it every two hours to monitor if it goes up, stays the same or goes down. If it's above this, she has a fever. Fever can be brought on by exhaustion and dehydration... But, could also be a sign of bigger problems such as an infection inside her uterus or milk glands. Now, the mother can stay with pups. It's normal for the nursing mother to seem really tired, really drained, not excited, not happy and even have a hot dry nose. What you need to do is bring her water and food to her whelping box area. Don't force her to leave the puppies to eat. Bring a nice cool bowl of water and place it in front of her face. If she refuses to drink it, you can spinkle salt in her mouth to make her thirsty. Food needs to consist of puppy food. Preferably mixed with canned food to encourage eating. She needs to eat a lot. If you have to roast her some chicken, do it. Food will bring energy back to her tired body and help milk production continue. Other than that, leave her be. Let her rest. She'll show more energy on days 4 or 5, more appetite, more willingness to leave the box. Make sure she goes outside to go potty. Even if she doesn't like it. Don't allow her to build up the habit of "going" inside. A nursing mother will do this so fast! Taking puppies away only stresses her.

Answer 3

Do you mean 3 lbs 5 ounces or only 3 ounces? Some mothers do try and kill the weakest puppies. If he isn't gaining weight like the others, you need to make sure that he isn't get pushed out of the way and is actually attaching to a nipple. If the mother does not want to feed the puppy, you will have to do it. You can buy a regular baby bottle and mix a formula of:

10 oz. of canned evaporated milk or goat's milk (not pasteurized cow's milk - this will cause scowers - dogs cannot drink normal cow's milk) Goats milk is by far the best to use. Wall Mart sells it.

3 oz. sterilized water (baby water or boiled water) this is not needed if using goat's milk

1 raw egg yolk

1 cup of whole yogurt (avoid skim or fat free if at all possible)

1/2 Tsp Karo Syrup or Corn Syrup (NOT HONEY !!!)

Blend all the ingrediants together and serve it warm.

Keep feeding the puppy every 2-3 hours. Eventually it will gain weight and hopefully the mother will no longer single it out. Take the puppy to a vet asap and make sure nothing is wrong with it.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I don't know for sure but I would think maybe the mother knows something you don't. I would take the pup to the vet to check to see what health problems he may have, if the pup is healthy then I would bottle feed him and put him with Mom for the stimulation he needs but then maybe remove him from the crate. I raise dogs and have never seen that problem but I have had a dog push a pup away when she thought it was not going to survive. It did survive after some intervention from us, it was healthy just cold and weak when first born.

Answer 5

I doubt she's hurting him now, though she may have unintentionally done it earlier. Either he's hurt or he's ill would be my guess. She seems to know something isn't right with the little guy. You should take him to the vet as soon as you can and have him checked out. As a matter of fact, just to be safe, take mom and all the pups to get everyone checked out at once. That way if he is sick they can all be treated at the same time rather than making two trips.

EDIT: Everyone beat me to it, as usual. :)

Answer 6

Dogs can sense when something is wrong with one of their puppies. You can try to seperate and bottle feed this lil' guy, and hope for the best.
At a shelter I volunteered with, a dog did that with one of her pups, but unfortunately, despite our efforts to take care of her, she ended up passing away a few days later.

Answer 7

The pups is probably very ill, maybe born with something wrong with its heart, liver, etc. The mom can sense it and knows it is dying. She wants to help it or to let you help it but she doesn't know what to do. You should take the pup to the vet and have it checked over.

Answer 8

Female dogs tend to have a 6th sense about the health of their puppies, and sadly something is probably wrong with the puppy. You may want to try making the puppy nurse, but something is probably wrong with it.

Answer 9

sometimes dogs know if a puppy is really sick and is not going to make it. I had a dog once that kept burying one of her pups. If she feels he's sick, she might not care for him and just take care of the other ones.

Answer 10

there is something wrong with the puppy try giving it bitches milk re-placer to help it keep it warm, may have to keep it from the mama dog needs warm milk every 2 hours in a dropper, the mama dog is asking you for help with the puppy